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Ballota saxatilis from Jordan: Evaluation of Essential Oil Composition and Phytochemical Profiling of Crude Extracts and Their In-Vitro Antioxidant Activity
Get PDFThe chemical composition of essential oil extracted from the aerial parts of Ballota saxatilis Sieber ex C.Presl from Jordan has been elucidated by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Additionally, aqueous methanol (BsA), Butanol (BsB) and water (BsW) extracts were screened for their total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities using the 2,2 Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) methods. The most potent extracts were screened for their phenolic acids and flavonoid content using liquid the chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique. The results indicated that the essential oil predominantly contained cis-pinane (14.76%), β-caryophyllene (8.91%) and allo-aromadendrene epoxide (6.39%). Among the different extracts investigated, the BsB fraction had the most TPC and TFC (455.79 ± 1.03 µg gallic acid/g dry extract; 272.62 ± 8.28 µg quercetin/g dry extract, respectively) and had the best radical and radical cation scavenging activities, as determined using the DPPH and ABTS methods. Quantitative and qualitative LC-MS analyses of BsA and BsB using LC-MS revealed each of the kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (30.29%), chrysoeriol-7-glucoside (7.93%) and luteolin 7-o-glucoside (7.76%) as the main constituents of the BsA fraction. The BsB fraction was rich in 7,4′-dimethoxy-3-hydroxyflavone (34.68%), kaempferol-3,7,4′-trimethyl ether (29.17%) and corymbosin (9.66%) and lower concentration levels of kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (1.63%) and chrysoeriol-7-glucoside (0.51%)
Exercising ethnobiological resilience in turbulent times and places: in memoriam Sayed Hussain (1998–2023)
Get PDFOn May 4, 2023, four schoolteachers and four drivers, including the young ethnobotanist Sayed Hussain, lost their lives at their school, massacred by religious extremists in the village of Teri Mangal, Kurram District, NW Pakistan, near the Pakistani-Afghan border. Ethnobiologists working in this area believe in the power of education and community-centered rural development as prominent tools for bringing about decent sustainable livelihoods in the near future and ultimately fostering social cohesion, tolerance, and peace. Ethnobiology was expressly conceived and designed to play a pivotal role in celebrating the richness of diversity of both indigenous and minority groups and especially to stop their oppression and discrimination, building the conditions for providing them true agency in their inalienable right to shape a decent future for their children. Field ethnobiologists in Kurram feel the palpable social tension, the fears local people confront daily and even sometimes the reluctance of a few community members to discuss and share their folk knowledge, while at other times, the burden of accessing militarily controlled areas and territories affected by landmines made their field research unfeasible. Nevertheless, ethnobiologists conducting field studies and navigating through these major difficulties exercise their daily resilience daily and believe in the power of the continuous dialogue between local knowledge holders and scholars
Edible wild plant species used by different linguistic groups of Kohistan Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan
Get PDFBackground
The mountainous territory of Kohistan shelters diverse food plant species and is considered one of the important hotspots of local plant knowledge. In the era of globalization and food commodification, wild food plants (WFPs) play an important role in supporting local food systems and related local knowledge is one of the important pillars of food sustainability across the region. Since the area is populated by different cultural groups and each culture has retained particular knowledge on the local plant species, therefore, to make a cross-culturally comparison, the study was planned to record and compare the local plants knowledge among three linguistic groups viz Gujjar, Kohistani and Shina in order to not only protect the local knowledge but to determine the food cultural adaptations among these groups looking through the lens of their food ethnobotanies.
Methods
Field ethnobotanical survey was carried out in 2020–2021 to gather the data on wild food plants. We used semi-structured interviews. Use reports were counted, and the results were visualized through Venn diagrams.
Results
In total, 64 plant species belonging to 45 botanical families were documented. Among these Ajuga integrifolia, Barbarea verna, Clematis grata, Impatiens edgeworthii, Ranunculus laetus (vegetables), Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana (fruit), Indigofera tinctoria (flower), Juniperus excelsa, Primula elliptica, P. macrophylla (flavoring agent), Leontopodium himalayanum (Chewing gum), and Juniperus excelsa (snuff) were reported for the first time. The highest use reports (≥ 90) were recorded for Mentha longifolia, Amaranthus hybridus, Quercus semecarpifolia, Solanum miniatum, Oxalis corniculata, Ficus palmata, and Urtica dioica. Maximum number of wild food plant species (WFPs) were reported by Kohistani, followed by Shinaki and Gujjari linguistic groups. The percentage overlap of traditional knowledge on WFPs was highest among Kohistani and Shinaki (56.0%), followed by Shinaki and Gujjars (17.0%), and Kohistani and Gujjars (15.0%). Kohistani and Shinaki groups exhibited maximum homogeneity in traditional knowledge. However, Gujjars had more knowledge on WFPs compared to Kohistani and Shinaki. In addition, some dairy products viz. Bhorus, Bagora, Bak, Cholam, Kacha, Gurloo and Poyeen were reported also reported that are consumed orally and used in traditional cuisines.
Conclusions
The study indicates that Kohistan is one of the important spots of biocultural diversity and could be recognized as biocultural refugia. WFPs have been an integral part of the traditional food systems among the studied groups, particularly the Gujjars have reported more distinct plant uses which could be referred to their distinctive ecological experiences among others. However, social change is one of the challenges that might lead to the erosion of local plant knowledge. Moreover, intercultural negotiations among the studied groups are also a matter of concern which could homogenize the local knowledge among them. Therefore, we suggest solid policy measures to protect the local knowledge and celebrate diversity across this mountain territory
The Intersections between Food and Cultural Landscape: Insights from Three Mountain Case Studies
Get PDFIn the last decades, scholars from different disciplines have used the foodscape as a concept and an analytical framework to explore the intersection between landscape, people and food culture. Adopting a comparative case-study analysis, this article aims to show how a foodscape can be used as a lens to investigate cultural landscapes, specifically in mountain areas affected by fast structural socio-economic and ecological changes, identifying key tangible and intangible elements, the underpinning relationship and values, as well as the factors underlying their evolution and transformation. In this way, the article indicates this concept as a key tool for landscape management and conservation. We discuss three different and complementary approaches to the analysis of cultural landscapes, namely, from food products to landscape analysis (Albania), from food production practices to landscape analysis (Kenya) and from food-related rural architecture to landscape analysis (Italy). Overall, the research highlights how implementing a foodscape lens among the different levels of landscape analysis could contribute to the assessment, protection and promotion of local food-related resources. In so doing, it opens new research aimed at defining the limits of this heuristic instrument, where its most promising aspects of the foodscape have been explored in the article
Curcumin: A Mini Review on its Synthetic Derivatives
Get PDFCurcumin is a fat-soluble natural substance obtained from Curcuma longa and finds its applications in treatment of numerous disorders and diseases. Apart from its vast pharmacological profile, it is also used as a flavoring agent in the Asian subcontinent. This has drawn attention of the scientists to use it as an important scaffold to prepare its synthetic derivatives in order to improve the efficacy as well as potency of drug molecules and also reducing their toxicity effects. Here we tried to give some deeper insights of curcumin with a focus on its biological activities and various synthetic derivatives with a view to get potential lead molecules for future drug discovery and expansion of its medicinal profile
Sustainable Architecture: A Solution for Scandinavian Housing Crisis – The Case of Snabba Hus Västberga Stockholm, Sweden
Get PDFSustainable constructed housing” also known as assembled houses” or” LEGO houses” has recently gained attention in Scandinavian government planning offices, sparking interest from a variety of scientific fields and providing lucrative investment opportunities for major Scandinavian construction firms. This appeal can be attributed to a shared desire to employ sustainability to address the housing crisis in Scandinavian nations, notably among the younger generation in Sweden. This publication presents economic progress and revisions to the house loan program for first-time homebuyers while highlighting the improvement measures done by Sweden’s ministry of housing. One of the Scandinavian nations, Sweden, has seen a surge in its housing crisis, and it appears to have found the solution. In this paper addressing the socioeconomic updates on Swedish housing laws, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of the notion of eco-friendly constructed homes. Since the 1980s till the present, Scandinavian countries have undoubtedly seen rapid economic growth (Fellman, 2008). The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of Snabba Hus, a building in Västberga, in Stockholm, Sweden, discussing its design elements in detail. By creating easily assembled housing units that are resource- and environment-friendly, the project was built successfully while providing young people with affordable eco-friendly homes. To help the reader understand, this paper provides a sustainable, easily assembled building system and its components, in addition how this system is explained, comprehended, put into reality, and implemented using the data that has been gathered based on the case study to draw attention to the discussion over whether the housing crisis is a social or physical problem and whether a sustainable, time-saving assembled housing unit is the solution to the problem of young housing shortages, and refugees, as well as in case of natural disasters such as earthquakes? Determining complex issues from the perspective of sustainable design may be the total of all life on earth and the ultimate solution to the housing crisis facing the next generation
Comparison Of Fracture Torque And Level Of Fracture Of Two Orthodontic Mini-Screw ( AN IN VITRO STUDY)
Get PDFCertain malocclusions may benefit from the use of mini-screw anchoring control during orthodontic treatment. In contrast, the failure of little screws will have a substantial influence on treatment efficiency and effectiveness. Twenty orthodontic mini-implants of (Tomas. Dentaurm. Germany; GNI, Korean) were inspected in an in-vitro study. A digital torque gauge was positioned perpendicular to the bone surface and placed into the 10 mm thick bovine femoral cortical bone in the same manner as mini-implants. The insertion done through the hand driver simulations of insertion intraorally. The Tomas offered a high fracture torque value compared with GNI. GNI gave a high percentage of fracture at an apical level while Tomas gave at the middle of it
Joint Efficiency And Average Burn-Off Length Of Friction Welded ABS Ter-Polymers
Get PDFWelding is one of the most efficient techniques used throughout the decades. Among different techniques, friction welding being one of the most sufficient methods. In addition, polymer is one of the materials that has wide applications such as automobiles, aerospace, medical etc. The present study has been carried out to investigate the efficiency of similar friction-welded ABS terpolymer joints. The study was conducted using the rotary friction welding method. Three different cases of rotational friction speeds (605, 820, 1220 rpm) and times (15, 30, 60 seconds) were examined for each case by taking nine specimens. The tensile strength of welded joints is compared to that of ABS tensile specimen as received welding. The joint efficiency and burn-off length were calculated. The joint efficiency and burn-off results are compared and discussed. Then the study concluded that the optimum joint efficiency was 17.24% at 605 rpm and 60 seconds. The lower burn-off length was 2 mm at 605 rpm and 15 seconds
Innovations In Formulation And Evaluation Of Oral Fast Dissolving Film
Get PDFThe most popular and convenient route for the drug administration is oral route with some merits, demerits, and limitations with some paediatric and geriatrics patients as they face difficulty to take solid dosage forms like capsules or compressed tablets that results in improper dosing due to vomit or removal of drug from buccal cavity. Oral fast dissolving films are a good alternate to overcome these difficulties and to deliver the drugs with any these age groups. Fast dissolving oral films are capable of delivering the drug locally and systemically by absorption through buccal mucosa, sublingual route, and oesophagus and finally form the stomach. Oral fast dissolving films offers a convenient way of dosing medication, not only for special groups of the population like paediatric, geriatric, confined to bed patients, patients with mental problems, but also to the general population. The present article review is focused on composition, preparation methods, evaluation and advancements of orally fast dissolving oral films
A Systematic Review On Traditional Use, Phytochemical And Pharmacological Properties Of Some Medicinal Plants Growing In Kurdistan Region – Iraq
Get PDFMany products labeled as "traditional herbal remedies" have a lengthy history of usage by definition of the term "traditional." Large segments of the population in many developing countries rely on traditional healers and their arsenal of medicinal plants to meet their healthcare requirements. Because of historical and cultural factors, herbal treatments are still widely used in modern medicine despite their antiquity. In industrialized nations, such things have become more accessible commercially. Current medical systems frequently recommend using chemicals in ways they weren't designed to be used. In certain parts of the world, the manufacture of herbal medicines are subjected to tight regulations, but this is not the case in other parts. In Germany Pharmacological goods are bound to the same criteria of efficacy, safety, and quality as herbal remedies, they are sold as "phytomedicines. On the other hand, most herbal products are marketed and monitored as food supplements in the United States, no pre-approval is required for this product category in the United Kingdom. As numerous academics in Iraq and the Kurdistan area have indicated, herbs have been utilized as a traditional cure for a wide range of illnesses in the past. Tribulus terrestris, Artemisia splendens Willd, Crataegus azarolus, Teucrium chamaedrys, Adiantum capillus-veneris and Matricaria chamomilla are the herbs discussed in this study, and their medicinal and traditional usage across the world, as well as some of the chemical components in these herbs' biological activity, are discussed